Marcello Lippi taking 9 old world champion players for Italy to world cup
The defending World Cup champion is getting ready for the World Cup. Marcello Lippi has delivered his final 23-players list for the World Cup and he is taking with him 9 World Champion players to South Africa. His choice of taking a veteran but old squad and his choices have been contested.
De Rossi (26 years old), Gilardino (28 years old), Iaquinta (30 years old), Pirlo (31 years old), Buffon (32 years old), Gattuso (32 years old), Zambrotta (33 years old), Camoranesi (33 years old), Cannavaro (36 years old). Nine World Cup champions are going to South Africa to defend their title. Stats speak for themselves as the team is old: the team's average age is around 31 years old. Since the World Cup win in Germany, four years have passed but Lippi's starting eleven has not changed much. Seven of the nine champions should be in the starting eleven in South Africa that will depend on a nucleus composed of Buffon, Pirlo, Cannavaro and Gilardino who replaced Luca Toni at the front of the attack.
Unfortunately, that nucleus does not have the same confidence from 4 years ago. Buffon and Cannavaro, usually the guardians of the Azzurri, but their club form does not bode well for Italy. Juventus' defense is ranked 15th in Serie A and Cannavaro is the leader of that defense.Stats yet again speak for themselves. Most of the players comes from Juventus or AC Milan and both clubs went through a hesitant season with no titles.Only Buffon is above in this team of ex-stars. La Squadra seem tired and the Italian media is worried and not satisfied about Lippi's choices.
Lippi responded to his critics by saying ''Everyone says that I am to loyal to the 2006 World Champions but I changed 50% of team. There are also many young players with experience''. We have to admit that the presence of defenders Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa) and Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), both 23 years old, are the best examples of the young guns in this team.
"The team is not old'' said Gianluca Zambrotta as he is feeling the disgruntlement around the team.''Personally, I do not feel old and I am in a hurry to player. I am neither tired nor worned out.I still have a lot to give, as all of my team mates that over 30 years old. Anyways, there is always skepticism around the Nazionale, we are used to it and we know how to handle it. We are 9 players to have won the World Cup four years ago and that is a good number''. The Italian media is also pointing at the unjustified absence of players that are in great form. Antonio Cassano's and Mario Balotelli's names are mentioned but Lippi does not want to hear about it anymore. ''The World Cup, it is one month and 7 games.
We do not necessarily need to have 24 years old players. If I have to play a whole season with this team, I would have probably made other choices. But for 1 month, it is not a problem.'' In World Cup history, only two teams were able to defend their title successively: Italy in 1934 and 1938, Brazil in 1958 and 1962. It is rare that the same generation can dominate over 4 years. Italy's current experiment is reminiscent of Mexico 1986. After winning the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Enzo Bearzot decided to recall 10 World Cup Champions that included old and declining stars. That team included Paolo Rossi (30 years old), Marco Tardello (32 years old) or Scirea (35 years old). The result of that experiment saw the Nazionale lose 2-0 to France in the round of 16. It is 2010 and in South Africa, Italy is lining itself up to repeat history.
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